Seaway Trail: Rochester New York to Cape Vincent

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Rochester New York

   Rochester rose on water power. The Genesee River drops ninety feet over High Falls in the middle of the city, and in the early nineteenth century the mills along the gorge ground so much wheat that it was called the Flour City, before the nickname changed to the Flower City, for its nurseries and lilacs. The Erie Canal crossed the river here on a stone aqueduct, and the city grew on the canal trade. Today, High Falls still tumbles through the downtown, lit at night, and the old mill buildings are being turned into apartments and cafes.

   Read the complete Rochester New York write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Rochester New York is where the day begins. Next is Oswego.

2. 2. Oswego

   On a clear evening, Oswego claims the best sunsets on the Great Lakes, and nobody who has seen the sun sink into Lake Ontario from the breakwater is inclined to argue. The city sits where the Oswego River meets the lake, a working port of about eighteen thousand people with grain silos, a harbour and an old stone lighthouse, and the water stretches to a horizon as flat and wide as the sea. The lake is so big that waves can reach a couple of metres in a storm, and it never quite warms up.

   Read the complete Oswego write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Oswego comes up about 115 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cape Vincent.

3. 3. Cape Vincent

   Where Lake Ontario squeezes into the head of the St. Lawrence River, Cape Vincent sits on a headland that looks out over islands and blue water, with Canada across the channel. The town was shaped by French connections: its name honours Vincent Le Ray, whose father, James Le Ray de Chaumont, owned huge tracts of land here in the early nineteenth century and brought French settlers and investors, and legend says Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte hunted in the neighbourhood after exile. A French festival in July keeps that heritage alive, and the main street has a few stone buildings and small shops.

   Read the complete Cape Vincent write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 241 km.